Updates

Midwestern homes that heat with natural gas on average could see a 14.5 percent increase in bills this winter, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA). But gas customers in Central and Southern Illinois are seeing their costs go down. The Energy Information Administration (EIA) says consumers will see higher heating bills due…...

A few months ago, Gov. Rauner signed a horrible bill—an update to the Water Privatization Act. The bill allows the state’s biggest private water companies to buy up municipal water systems and raise rates for customers across Illinois. Well, there’s an exciting development: Due to a legal technicality, the General Assembly…...

CUB’s team helped save Illinois consumers more than $125 million in 2018. “We thank Illinois consumers for their generous support,” CUB Executive Director David Kolata said. “CUB members are the heroes in this story—together we achieved a lot this year.” After you read CUB’s Year in Review, please consider giving…...

Congratulations to CUB’s Energy Myths Quiz winners: Regina from Aurora and Patricia of Oak Lawn! They each won $100 off their October utility bills for taking the time to bust some energy myths. Whether you took the quiz or not, check out the answers below to see how your energy…...

Why was an $813 balance added to Surrina H.’s ComEd bill? The charges were tied to a Chicago address where she had never lived. While trying to resolve the identity theft issue, ComEd disconnected her service and she was left without service for days. “ComEd was not really responding,” she…...

Ashley went 10 days without gas after Nicor charged her for a $1,200 balance from where she lived in 2009. That year, Ashley was forced to leave her Rockford home when the city condemned it. The house was boarded up and left unlivable. After the house was restored, a resident…...

Net Neutrality Update: Take action to fight a White House attack on the nation’s strongest internet consumer protections. Background: Things looked pretty bleak last year after the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), under new Chairman Ajit Pai, killed the internet consumer protections called “net neutrality.” But enough people care about this issue—polls show an…...

By Bryan McDaniel CUB’s Director of Governmental Affairs CUB has been working with other consumer advocates to reform the Peoples Gas pipeline-replacement program–the utility’s mismanaged project that threatens to spark what Crain’s Chicago Business called a “heating-affordability crisis.” Last week I came face-to-face with the heating-affordability crisis. I met with…...

CUB has been getting calls from AT&T customers concerned about a letter they received from the company announcing the end of a low-income discount on landline service. Read CUB’s Q & A. What happened? In September, certain AT&T landline customers received a letter from the company with the headline: “Your…...

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced plans to replace the Clean Power Plan with the Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) plan. CUB argues the new plan is a bailout for failing coal-fired power plants and threatens to raise our electric bills. Today, Chicago hosted the only hearings in which the…...